The Festival of Ecstasy
by Jet556
Summary: Built in Third Earth's brutal and ancient past, Harapa is a glorious city that now worships a monster. One day each year the Festival of Ecstasy is held and the height of the celebration prisoners either die in an arena, unarmed and without armour, or upon an altar.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome gang. This story will be eight chapters. The title for this story was originally going to be "The Festival of Ecstasy, Theater and Wine" but I felt that would have been too long. Also as well as the mystery of the Shaman's identity, there is the mystery of the identity of Balor's biological father. Let me give you a hint and say that these two aren't unconnected to each other. Enjoy.**

**Before the Likeness**

Balor starred up at the statue of Sotark before him. It was made of gold and standing at the height of one hundred and seven feet. It was much bigger than the real Sotark and for the first time Balor actually felt insignificant. He stood before it with other boys. Some were as young as five and some were as old as nineteen.

Balor looked around. The mothmen were there but there did not seem to be any particular mothman that had any authority.

They were at the center of Harapa. This couldn't have possibly been the gauntlet!

Balor then starred back up at the statue of Sotark. Then suddenly he was grabbed by three mothmen. One of them was holding a knife! The mothman carved an arrow into his right arm. The gibbering of the mothmen had the sound of joy about it. They sounded as if they were laughing. The arrow was pointed down towards Balor's hand. The mothman holding the knife had not been gentle when he carved the arrow into Balor's arm. There was more black blood seeping from the young evabon's arm than Balor thought possible even though in reality it was the correct amount. He clutched at his arm in pain.

"You shall be identified by your mark!" Balor looked up at the mothman that had carved the arrow into his arm. It could speak the trade language? "You're the second barbarian! You're the second savage! You're the second evabon that I've marked." The second evabon?

"Who was the first?"

"A grey-skin, like yourself but much darker! It had been twenty-six years ago when he was in his early teens. I even remember the mark I gave him. It was a lightning bolt on his right arm." A lightning bolt on his right arm? That was the scar and the arm that the Shaman had spoken about when he revealed that the man Balor had called father was not his father but someone else.

"What happened to him?"

"He was thrown down into the underworld!" Balor's eyes widened. Had his father escaped from the underworld? There was a way in and thus a way out therefore the man who was his father must have found it.

But still that caused him to wonder one thing. Who was his father? Kit and Kat had known who their father was so why was there all of a sudden a mystery about who his father was. Why should the person he had called father turn out to not be his father at all?


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back, gang. Well, I've heard that ThunderCats has been cancelled. I'm guessing this means it won't be getting a Canadian airing. Alas, we must go on. And for those of you wondering a wyvern is a dragon with four limbs, one set of wings and one set of legs. Enjoy. **

**Flight of the Wyvern**

Balor continued to look around. They had yet to leave for the Gauntlet and still they were before that giant statue of Sotark that towered over the entire city of Harapa. There was no way that he was going to the Gauntlet, whatever it was.

Then Balor spied a ledge on a nearby building. It was low enough for him to reach if he were to jump. He'd get away from this group, he would!

Balor jumped and instantly three mothmen pursued him. Balor then jumped for a higher ledge on another building, and then to the roof of a building itself.

The mothmen continued to pursue!

Now on the roof of the building, Balor proceeded to jump to another rooftop. When he reached it he heard a horrible noise, a familiar noise! Balor looked and down coming at him were about fifteen Olitiau. Balor gulped in fear.

"Oh, not good!" Balor shook his head. "Not good at all!" Three mothmen and fifteen olitiau and they were all after him. This was overkill! Balor was paralyzed in terror. Both the mothmen and the olitiau landed on the rooftop and the leaders of the two groups walked towards each other.

"Give us the evabon! It has been many years since we've feasted on evabon blood!" The Olitiau leader, a female looked at Balor with hungry eyes. "Thunderan, Nomis, Giantors, Wolos, we want something rare! We want evabon blood!"

"You'll get what is in the prison you guard, witch!" The Mothman Leader pointed a sword at the Olitiau Leader. "Female and male Olitiau alike will only get the blood of the inmates of the prisons they guard! That is the law!" The Mothman Leader then looked over at Balor. "Besides, Sotark himself has selected this boy himself as his future champion!" The Olitiau Leader growled at the Mothman Leader.

"No one denies Iambe of her desired prey!"

"Then Iambe and her brood are traitors to all of Harapa!" And then the two groups clashed. Balor crept away to the edge of the rooftop only to realize he was out of luck. All of the rooftops were too far for him to jump to. If he were to fall he'd probably die and the only rooftop he could get too was blocked by the fighting mothmen and olitiau.

"Balor!" That was the Shaman's voice! Balor looked around. He wasn't anywhere in sight! Was he hearing the Shaman's voice in his head? "Look to the sky!" Balor looked up and flying down at him was a wyvern. The Wyvern landed next to Balor and sat down. "Go! Mount the Wyvern! Escape!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Balor jumped onto the back of the wyvern and instantly the winged reptile took off.

Balor's escape did not go unnoticed. The Mothman Leader turned his head to see the young evabon escaping on the wyvern. He was about to fly after them but then the Olitiau Leader, Iambe, killed him. A blow from one of her powerful wings broke his neck. Iambe starred at the escaping child upon the Wyvern and flew after them. Her daughters could take care of the rest of the Mothmen she had plenty of offspring so these fourteen were expendable.

With a few minutes, the wyvern and Balor were over a lake. Balor looked in disbelief as he saw that the gigantic lake was inside of Harapa itself. The giant wall surrounded even that body of water! Balor shook his head unable to understand what kind of a place this was.

Then came a horrible scream! It was like a banshee! Balor turned his head to look back and flying right at them was Iambe!

Iambe rammed right into the Wyvern, knocking Balor from his back. The Wyvern couldn't even fly to save Balor, he and Iambe were locked in a fight to the death. So all three fell down to the great lake below.

Sotark sat in his throne. He looked down at his court he towered over all of them. Then one member of the court walked towards him. A person whose race originated from the colder climates of Third Earth, he looked vaguely like a komrev combined with a were-tolac. He had owl-like eyes, large claws and an emaciated body. He looked like a skeleton with ash-toned skin. Sotark despised this race. In the ancient times, this race nearly drove the evabon to extinction but now it was quite ironic that one of these people now served an evabon.

"Great Soatrk, I am the general of your army, Ogidnew, I am your champion!"

"For the time being!" Ogidnew starred in shock. What did Sotark mean?

"I am Ogidnew, Slaughterer of Cats, Oppressor of Lizards, Subduer of Birds, Degrader,of Dogs, Destroyer of Petalars! Who else can be better a warrior than me?" Sotark laughed. There was much mocking in his laugh. Ogidnew backed away in fear. "Forgive me, great Sotark! I did not mean to question you!"

"Question me? It is good you question me!" Ogidnew swallowed in fright. He did not like where this was going. "In twelve years time your successor will have become an adult and you will now longer be of any use to me!" Ogidnew's eyes widened.

"A child? In the Gauntlet?" Ogidnew chuckled. "My lord, he might not live to see adulthood."

"He will live." Sotark's voice had become a growl. Everyone in the court had their eyes on Ogidnew. He was being foolish and Sotark knew it. The ruler of Harapa would probably end up striking down the general. "He is an evabon, like me he is one of the firstborn of Third Earth." The term 'First Born of Third Earth' had been used by many from different races. It was an indication that their race was the first sentient race on Third Earth but it was often said by people who held a great deal of power in the world. "Now what is the news on the search for my hammer?" Ogidnew backed away only to back into the serpent who Balor, Kat and Panthro had been brought before.

"It has been found, King of Evabon!" Ogidnew turned his head to look at the serpent. Why hadn't he been told of this? He was the General! Why was the High Priest suddenly knowing more than he did? "It had been found in a farmer's field. You'll be happy to know that the farmers were slain and their blood was used to wash your hammer." The serpent slithered forward and bowed his head. "It awaits you in the temple!" Sotark smiled and stood up.

"To the temple! And Third Earth shall once more feel my power at its fullest!" Sotark and the members of the court left the throne room leaving Ogidnew alone. The general would make assurance double sure that he would not mistake. He would go to the Gauntlet and kill the evabon boy himself that Sotark planned to replace him with. No one would replace him.

On the spirit realm, Procyon and Jaga watched the events unfolding. The two looked into a pool of water in Procyon's pavilion on the floating mountain across the rainbow bridge. Procyon shook his head. Jaga turned to look at Procyon.

"Something wrong?"

"I can't do anything to help!" Procyon placed his sword into the pool causing the images to vanish. "Because of my penance I can only descend to the mortal plane during the cycle of the full moon."

"What of entering the dreams of mortals?" Procyon shook his head.

"Only during the cycle of the new moon." Jaga looked back into the pool of water. He got an idea.

"Then as the friend of your brother and a ThunderCat allow me to advise them." Procyon placed a hand on Jaga's shoulder. Jaga raised an eyebrow in question.

"No, there is one looking out for Balor and the ThunderCats can get out of this situation by themselves."

"You mean he who has become a personification of death, the north and the storm?"

"Aye, he who was born when my race was young." Jaga nodded in agreement.

"No doubt this is a test of some sort." Jaga looked at the pool of water. An image was starting to form. "We can only hope that everyone will pass this test." Procyon and Jaga both kneeled down to get a closer look at the image forming in the pool.

The image showed an army marching. Whose army was it? Where was it going?


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back, gang. I must admit I might have left Balor's part of the previous chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger but I really wanted my readers to be on the edge of their seats so that's how I left Balor. The end of the previous chapter had a bit of foreshadowing of what's to come. Enjoy.**

**Likeness of Marble**

This was a lake? It was more like an ocean! The raging waters tossed Balor onto the right foot of a great statue. Terrified from the whole ordeal he had just gone through, Balor looked up at the statue. His jaw dropped at the likeness of the statue. It was the shaman and the statue was made of marble.

Balor clutched to the foot of the statue. He didn't want to be swept away.

The Shaman was dressed differently and even looked differently. The likeness of the statue had two eyes and not just the one and the clothing was not the hooded robe but an outfit of furs, armor and a horned helmet.

Balor couldn't understand. Was this the Shaman? Or perhaps this was just a coincidence, a physical twin maybe?

"Ahoy there!" Balor looked to his left as a person in a rowboat approached the statue. It was an evabon! Grey skinned, the evabon starred at Balor with cold eyes. "So a son of my half-brother. You look young, how old are you? Six? Seven?" Balor's eyes widened at the first sentence. This was his uncle? This was the brother of his real father? He looked so old.

"Eight." The evabon in the boat started to stroke his beard. Balor guessed his uncle must have been around sixty so that only caused him to wonder how old his father was.

"My brother must be pushing forty then. Last time him and I saw one another he said he'd never do an act like that again so I'm sure you don't have any half-siblings from his side." Balor's uncle then started to stroke his mustache. He was a big evabon, probably ten feet and his beard and mustache made him look intimidating.

"What is your name, uncle?"

"Useth!" The older evabon grabbed Balor by the neck and placed him in the rowboat. "And remember this my young nephew, like your father I'm not to be trusted. I was trustworthy when I was young and tender but now that I'm old and strong I know that no one can be trusted thus you should not trust me." Useth laughed as he started rowing again. "Now, my nephew what is your name?"

"Balor."

"Ah, Glory of Lor." Balor raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand what Useth was talking about. "Your name means 'Glory of Lor.'"

"Lor was my stepfather's name!" Useth nodded in understanding. "What was my father's name?"

"I won't tell you." Useth smiled as he looked down at a spear. "You presumably already know about his scar in the shape of a lightning bolt." Balor nodded. "Ah, so you've been told of that." Balor nodded again. "The cut in your arm tells me that you are to be trained as a soldier of Harapa." Balor watched in fright as Useth's right hand reached for the spear. "You are to be on the island called 'the Gauntlet.'" Useth's hand then closed around the spear. Balor's eyes widened as his uncle lifted it. "I will not allow a member of my father to go through that misery! I'll do anything to make sure you don't. Forgive me."

Three things then happened. Useth thrust his spear forward towards, Balor jumped and the rowboat flipped over. Balor landed on the flipped over rowboat wondering if his uncle would surface. Ten minutes passed and Useth never did surface. It then dawned on the young evabon that his uncle had probably drowned. Balor looked down as the rowboat floated away. What was he to do now?

In the temple, Cheetara and Kit looked through the bars of their prison. They could see Sotark's hammer near an altar. The high priest, a feathered serpent whose name was unmemorable, had frequently curled around it. They had frequently heard him say to himself how much he wished he had arms.

The doors of the temple then opened and the two cats saw Sotark with members of his court walked to the altar. Sotark smiled when he saw his hammer. He held his weapon aloft and the smile grew bigger.

"My hammer!" Sotark brought the hammer down on the altar completely shattering it. "The hammer which I used to break a rib of my father Crourn which I later ripped out and stabbed him with!" Sotark then looked at one of the lesser members of his court. Within a few seconds his hammer had crushed that member of the court. "The hammer with which I ravaged the entire eastern realm with earthquakes!" Sotark then started to stroke his hammer as if it was a pet or something. "The hammer that I used to instill glorious terror."

Cheetara and Kit both looked at each other. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sotark could make Mumm-Ra look heroic if it wasn't downright impossible. They could only wonder how they'd escape and find Lion-O and Tygra. If the four of them were together then maybe they could defeat Sotark. Maybe. Just maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back, gang. I now bring back a deceased character in this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Out of the Mud**

The rowboat came to an island. On the island was a bog and it was into that bog that the rowboat drifted into. Balor jumped from the rowboat and ended up landing into the mud of the bog. There was a lot of it! He was up to his waist in mud!

Balor tried to jump but he couldn't budge. A laugh then came to his ears. There was something familiar about that laugh. Balor knew the voice! He was sure of it!

He was then lifted into the air by the mud itself. A person started to form from the mud. Balor's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the person! But no it couldn't be! It was impossible! He was dead! But it was!

"Thomeheb!" Balor couldn't believe it. The Scourge of Mumm-Ra now as an Eternal! An Eternal was what an Evabon with a corrupt soul became. It was only natural that Thomeheb would have become an Eternal. Balor only wished that he were somewhere else.

"I remember you!" The mud that was making up Thomeheb's arm was starting to move up to Balor's neck. "I hate the three of you! You, Gard, that little witch! You are the reason I'm an Eternal!" The mud continued until it was up to Balor's chin. "Any last words?"

"Yeah, wouldn't happen to know who my father is do you?" Balor figured that since Thomeheb was Gard's cousin then he must have come across his father during his travels in his lifetime.

"Your father?" Balor nodded in response, barely. The mud around his neck was making it hard for him to move his neck.

"Grey skinned, scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his right arm, that's how he was described to me." Thomeheb released Balor and placed him back in the mud. Now was the time for Balor to form a plan.

"You mention him? A pirate? A bandit? A worshipper of marriage, women and birth? You dare mention him to me? You'll die for that Son of Pwyll!" Thomeheb started to feel his body of mud harden. He couldn't even move. "What is happening to me?" There was a smile on Balor's face. "What did you do to me?"

"The Shaman was right, I do have the spark." Balor jumped onto Thomeheb's shoulder. He tapped him on the head, annoying the Eternal. "Now see here, you'll be like this until I see fit to release you which might be never." Thomeheb glared angrily. "Now is my father alive?"

"I didn't kill him so he might be." Balor smiled and waved happily. He jumped into a tree and left. Thomeheb let out an enraged roar. "You'll see me everywhere Balor! Even in your nightmares!"

Balor raced through the trees. He now had a name to go with the phantom that was his mysterious father: Pwyll.

Sotark continued to stroke his hammer. A smile appeared on his evil face as an idea formed in his mind. A perfectly cruelly entertaining idea! His head turned to the bars where the female prisoners were behind. His eyes instantly landed on Kit. Have Balor kill her while under his influence and the boy would become his champion all the easier!

Sotark stretched out a hand. "To the Gauntlet with you!" A fireball shot from Sotark's hand and soon enough Kit was gone. Sotark then looked at the members of his court. "Continue with the preparations for the Festival of Ecstasy, I leave for my chamber, do not disturb me." Sotark began to walk away but then fell to his knees, dropped his hammer and started to clutch at his head in pain.

A large white tolac with a single eye then appeared in the temple out of nowhere. The tolac walked towards Sotark and it turned into an old Evabon with grey skin and mustache and beard. He too had a single eye just like the tolac. He was dressed in a black robe with shining stars on it. There was a staff in this stranger's hand hewn from simple wood.

"Sotark, look upon me and know me well." The stranger banged his staff on the ground and instantly his wardrobe changed from the robe to an outfit of furs, armor and a horned helmet. The staff had vanished. Sotark and his followers began to tremble. "Look upon me and know me well and know that your chosen champion knows me as well."

"You dare speak to me like that, Shaman?" Sotark stood up, no longer in pain and no longer trembling. "The boy will be broken, he will become my champion! Now I demand you identify yourself! I have seen the statue but I know not your name now tell it to me!"

"I am Death. I am the North! I am the Storm! I am he who searches for his eye but has never found it! I am the one who longs for death! I am the first of the shamans." And with that the stranger, the Shaman, vanished. Sotark growled angrily. Bit by bit he was becoming more bestial since his release. The serpent slithered over to Sotark.

"Something troubles you, my lord?" Sotark's hand shot out and squeezed the serpent's throat. No one was sure if the serpent died of choking or if his neck had been broken but either way he had died. The priests all looked at each other in fear. Who would become the new High Priest? Then everyone starred in shock at what happened next.

Sotark had bitten into body of the serpent, like a predator with prey! He then looked over at the members of hos court. They were still trembling in fear. He then left the temple, the body of the serpent still in his hand and he was taking his hammer with him.

Cheetara turned to look at a wall. Sotark was monstrous becoming more beast than person. Could such a being really exist? She had never seen anyone like that before. How could someone like that exist?


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back, gang. You know I'm starting to think that Balor's half of the story is becoming like Dante's Inferno, with it being more about the journey and whom Balor comes across. Also this whole chapter, Balor's part at least, is a build up for when Balor and Kit meet. Enjoy.**

**Sotark's Influence **

Balor rested in a tree. He did not think that Thomeheb would be able to come after him, not after Balor had immobilized him, trapped him in that shell of his.

The young evabon looked around. The trees and the animals on this island all seemed evil somehow. He wasn't sure what kind of a place the Gauntlet was but it didn't seem safe to him.

Balor picked a fruit from the tree he was in. This had to be safe. Balor took a bite. It didn't taste good but he was hungry and the fruit was clearly not poisonous, he had been taught was poisonous fruit looked like. Unsatisfied with the taste, Balor threw the fruit into the water of the bog down below.

A sound then came to Balor's ears. He started to look around. He had heard a roar and he didn't see anything. Then he heard the roar again… from below him! Balor looked down and his eyes widened in horror.

Before the tree was a tolac made of stone. It was roaring like a monstrous abomination of a beast!

It was a good thing that tolac's couldn't climb otherwise this stone tolac would have made short work of him. Then Balor's jaw dropped. The tolac proceeded to climb up the tree.

Alarmed by this, Balor climbed to the highest branches. He climbed to the limbs that wouldn't support the stone tolac's weight. The tolac only got closer and when it reached the limb Balor was one the tolac starred at the young evabon growling. The eyes of the stone tolac then looked at the limb and brought its paw crashing down. The limb broke and down fell Balor!

Then came the sound of flapping wings. Balor was by an Olitiau! Three times the size and a hundred times more monstrous in appearance than a normal one.

The giant Olitiau flew over the bog with Balor in its claws. Terrified, he hung onto its ankles. He wasn't afraid of heights but being this far off the ground in the claws of this demon was terrifying! The bog seemed to stretch out across the entire island and for all Balor knew there could have been quicksand!

Then the giant Olitiau just vanished. Down, down Balor fell! This was the end! He knew it! There was no way of surviving this, no way at all!

Then just as Balor had been dropped by one demon he was caught by another! He wasn't caught by an Olitiau but by something that couldn't be real. It was green in color, reptilian. The top half of its body was Sotark's and the bottom half was a serpent's! The fear in Balor's eyes caused the serpent thing to smile.

"O, cruel tormentor!" Even an eight year old, which is what Balor was, would have made the exclamation. Sotark was toying with Balor and they both knew it. And then as quickly as the serpent thing appeared, it vanished.

Balor fell down into the muddy water below. He emerged and crawled onto the bank. Once on the bank, Balor collapsed. He wasn't sure if he could go on but he had to! For Gard, Kit, the ThunderCats, everyone! He couldn't give up! He couldn't!

Balor stood up and picked up a large tree limb that was on the bank. It was light enough for him to carry but also heavy enough to hurt someone. Now he could defend himself!

Sotark sat in his chamber. Starring at his crystal plate, he saw Balor continue on his way. He was heading in just the way Sotark wanted him to go. Balor would find Kit bound and gagged, completely helpless in a temple but he wouldn't see her but something else, something threatening. A cruel, evil grin formed on his face as he looked at his crystal plate. Everything was going according to plan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome back, gang. Now originally this chapter was going to be far more confusing with it constantly switching back and forth between Balor's point of view and Kit's. I simplified this by having it only be from Balor's. Enjoy.**

**Illusions **

Soon Balor came to a temple in ruins. He looked up to the sky and saw the moon. Had it really been that long? Something shining them came to his attention. Balor turned his head and there was a short sword. That sure did seem convenient. Balor threw the tree branch he was holding aside and picked up the short sword. This would work much better.

He entered the temple. Shadows and moonlight was all that he saw in the temple. He didn't even hear anything but some growls. He had never heard anything like it. Sounded like someone sawing with a rusty saw. Actually, it also sounded like what Balor imagined a tolac with a bad head cold would sound like.

Balor walked into the moonlight only to walk into a giant shadow. Alarmed, Balor turned around. It was only a statue, a scary looking one. Still there was that sound. What was it? Now it was starting to sound like a knucker's mating call!

The young evabon continued walking through the temple. More shadows, more moonlight, more scary looking statues and still he could hear that sound. It seemed like either Balor was getting closer to the source of the sound or the source of the sound was getting closer to him.

Then came the sound of thunder but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. What was going on here? Here he was in a ruined temple with statues that could give nightmares and moonlight pouring in causing shadows. But what were shadows to an evabon? They could see in the darkest darkness but for some reason these shadows didn't seem normal. Balor couldn't see in this dark. Was there something different about the shadows? Or was the temple ruins? Maybe it was the island, the Gauntlet! Could it have been that fruit he had taken a bite out of? Balor didn't know why but for some reason his vision was becoming worse. He couldn't see in the dark could he have slowly been going blind? He just wasn't sure.

Then one statue caught Balor's eye. It was a statue of the Shaman. But it couldn't be, just like that larger statue it had two eyes.

Then that sound again! Balor turned around and saw the source of it. It was a hideous, growling creature with cloven hooved feet, razor-like clawed hands, glowing red eye, large leathery bat-like wings and a forked reptilian tail. It had the head of a dog with the face of a horse, deer-like antlers and a kangaroo's body. Prior to meeting the ThunderCats, the only animals Balor had ever seen were bats, dogs, horses, deer, kangaroos, lizards, monkeys and jackals. As he beheld this mix-matched thing a great urge came over the boy to kill this devil.

Balor walked towards the devil with his sword raised. It wasn't trying to attack him or even fly away. What was wrong with it? It must have been pretending to be injured! That was the only explanation!

Balor was about to bring his sword down on the devil when the great white tolac with one eye that he had seen before rammed into him. Where had it come from? Balor hadn't seen it or even heard it!

Balor stood up but was once again rammed into by the one-eyed tolac. This time Balor fell into a pool of water that had formed from the rain that came and went. When he emerged, Balor slipped in a puddle and when he saw a reflection in the puddle the young evabon let out a small gasp. Balor looked up expecting to see the devil but instead he saw Kit bound and gagged. Balor looked back at the puddle and then looked at Kit. The reflection was Kit's and here was Kit before him. But where was the devil? Where had it gone? Unless… there had never been a devil! Balor looked at the sword he was holding and threw it into the pool of water. The boy walked over to the girl and removed the gag that was across her mouth.

"Now, you know Sotark's power!" Balor had just begun to untie Kit's hands when he heard the Shaman's voice. Balor turned around and to his shock the one-eyed tolac turned into the Shaman. "How did it feel to be tricked by him? You would have killed your friend if I had not intervened." Balor raised an eyebrow in question.

"Who are you?" Once Balor finished removing the bonds that kept Kit's hand behind her back, the girl placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. She pointed at the Shaman.

"I've seen him, he told Sotark that he's the first of the shamans!" Kit's words caused Balor's eyes to widen. The first of the shamans? But then that would mean that the Shaman was…

"Wodanaz?" The Shaman nodded at Balor's realization. "But I thought you were a myth!" The Shaman laughed.

"Now is that anything to say to your paternal grandfather?" Balor and Kit both starred at the Shaman in shock. Balor started to untie Kit's legs when she gave him a look that said she could do it herself. Balor stood up and walked towards Wodanaz.

"But you can't be my grandfather, you're ancient!" The Shaman laughed again.

"Yes, I am aren't I?" The Shaman stroked his beard. "But that's not the point."

"Why didn't you just tell me who you were? Why didn't you just tell me my father was a villain?" Kit quickly looked at Balor. What did he just say about his own father?

"Balor, you had to learn these things for yourself to learn about yourself. If I had just told you these things you wouldn't have learned anything!" Wodanaz kneeled down and placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Now what have you learned?"

"From my mother's side I'm descended from Gard."

"One of our people's greatest heroes."

"And my father is a villain."

"And what about me?"

"You gave up one of your two eyes for knowledge. So there is good and evil in my family?" Wodanaz smiled and nodded.

"Good, now what else?" Balor thought for a moment and then it came to him.

"My family doesn't matter, I make my own destiny." Wodanaz's smile grew bigger. He stood up and gave Balor a pat on the head. "But what about your eye?"

"My eye is an object of great power." Wodanaz looked at the statue of himself. "In the right hands it brings enlightenment!" Wodanaz then looked at the statue of a monster. "In the wrong hands it turns whoever possesses it into what most reflects their nature!" Wodanaz then looked at Balor. "If I reclaim my eye then the bloodshed that it has caused will come to an end."

"But there will still be bloodshed so it won't make much of a difference."

"Yes, Balor, but there will be a little less of it. There is a chance that you might come across it, you'll know it when you see it." Wodanaz then looked up at the stars and then at his robe. How he longed for death. His time was over and yet he still lived to search for his eye. "Your lessons aren't over yet! They will be over when the General of Harapa falls into the underworld and you have questions no doubt but they can be answered by your maternal great grandfather." And with that Wodanaz vanished. Kit walked over to the confused Balor and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Balor looked at Kit. Looking at her he thought about what he had almost just done.

"Not really." Balor walked over to the statue of Wodanaz and sat in front of it. Kit walked over and sat next to him. "I almost killed you and I probably wouldn't have realized it if I had." Kit held Balor's hand and gave him a smile.

"It's going to be okay." Balor sighed and looked away at a wall.

"Will it?" Kit leaned over and gave Balor a kiss on the cheek. She was surprised by that he didn't turn to look at her he didn't touch his cheek he just kept looking at the wall. "I just really don't think anything can be okay with someone like Sotark around."


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome back, gang. We're almost at the end of this story, just one more chapter. Actually, this is probably off topic but I just noticed something funny about the Flash Gordon series. In "Flash Gordon" there is a character named Thun who is a lion man. Could the creators of the original ThunderCats have taken a small bit of inspiration from Flash Gordon or is it just coincidence? I don't know just something I felt like sharing. Enjoy.**

**Great-Grandson of Gard**

Balor walked over to the pool of water. The arrow shaped scar on his right arm was starting to hurt. He kneeled down and proceeded to place his arm into the pool.

Kit starred for a moment and then walked over to her friend. When she saw the scar on his arm she gasped in shock. She hadn't even noticed it.

"How bad does it hurt?" Balor didn't respond. "Balor?" Still he didn't respond. There was a blank look in his eyes.

"There has to be a way off this island." Kit looked away. She really didn't have any idea where they were but on an island?

"Do not dwell on it too much." Balor looked up, so did Kit. They could see the silhouette of an evabon in the moonlight. "It does not suit my great-grandson." Balor starred. This was his maternal great-grandfather?

"You're Usrep?" The evabon nodded in reply. "My mother said you were dead."

"Your mother was my most loyal granddaughter and the most honest. You are looking upon a celestial who must never step foot on the floating mountain across the rainbow bridge. Such is the fate for Gard's great-grandson." Balor and Kit's eyes both widened. They both thought Gard had been older. "I know what you're thinking and just so you know my father, Gard's grandson, was in his mid seventies when I was born. There was quite the age gap between him and my mother." Usrep looked at Balor. Just wearing a loincloth, Balor would not have that much protection in the coming conflict. "You're fine the way you are, no armor for you." Balor starred, trying to figure out what Usrep was going on about. "No weapons either… maybe when you're older." Balor stood up and looked at his great-grandfather.

"I was told you killed a witch!" Balor kept his eyes on the silhouette of Usrep. "Is it true?" Usrep nodded. "You're a hero!"

"Yes, but my time has been over for years." Still that silhouette didn't move. "And your time as a hero won't be for years to come. Warrior, shaman, you have the makings of both in you." Kit tapped Balor on the shoulder. He didn't acknowledge her action. "You have time to make up your mind you have the spark of a shaman and the makings of a warrior, that is rare."

"How rare?" Kit continued to tap Balor on the shoulder. Still he ignored her.

"Balor!" Kit started to whisper into her friend's ear. "I don't think it's really him." Balor just pushed Kit into the pool of water, not even hearing the splash.

"Impossibly rare and I'd expect better manners from you." Balor looked confused about the last part. Usrep pointed a finger at Kit. Balor looked down at her in surprise.

"What are you doing in the water?" Kit starred up at Balor. He really wasn't paying attention to what he was doing was he? Balor kneeled down and extended a hand. Kit didn't take it. She just looked aside. "What did I do?"

"You didn't acknowledge her presence. She thinks I might be an illusion of Sotark, I'm not but what if I was?" Balor started to think of an answer. There had to be a right answer to this question. "You wouldn't have known, the illusions of a lesser villain would be flawed, Sotark's illusions have no flaws. You would have been fooled." Balor looked up at Usrep. He was right. Balor probably wouldn't have known until it was too late. "Think about this lesson, we'll meet again."

"When?"

"When Sotark's hammer comes slamming down on you." Usrep's silhouette vanished. Why was it that some of Balor's family members left as quickly as they appeared? Balor starred at the spot where the silhouette had been he then looked down at Kit. He once again extended a hand to help her out. This time Kit did take his hand.

"Kit, I'm sorry I didn't mean to ignore you I was just…" Balor trailed off. What was he going to say? He had no idea why he ignored her.

"Never mind that." Kit untied her ponytail and to Balor's shock her ears appeared out of nowhere. "What he said about Sotark's hammer…"

"Your ears are your hair?" Balor tugged at one of his ears. Small round things on the side of his head, they weren't like Kit's.

"Can you not change the subject?" Kit tied her ears back into a ponytail having dried them off quickly. "He predicted your death."

"Kit, I don't believe in as my mother would say 'superstitious fiddle faddle.'" Balor started scratching the scar on his right arm. Instantly, Kit swatted Balor's scratching hand away from the scar. "What was that for?"

"To keep it from bleeding!" Balor placed his left hand over the scar and starred shyly at Kit. "Did it hurt when you got it?" Balor nodded. "Does it still hurt?" Balor thought for a few seconds and then shook his head again. "Don't lie, it still hurts doesn't it?" Balor swallowed shyly.

"Just a bit." Kit walked over to Balor to take a look at his arm. The two sat down in the shadow of a statue and in that shadow Balor removed his hand from his right arm. It actually hurt a lot more. Balor felt something wet on his hand. His arm was bleeding his black blood again. Tears started to flow from Balor's eyes. "It… it hurts." It hurt so much that he was starting to cry or maybe he was crying because he nearly killed his friend? He just wasn't sure. Kit wiped a tear was Balor's face and gave him a smile.

"It's okay, let them out."


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome back, gang. This is the final chapter and just as a reminder this will lead right into my next story. Enjoy.**

**Down to the Underworld**

"So, you are the evabon that Sotark has chosen to replace me in twelve years time!" Ogidnew starred down at Balor and Kit. "Miserable excuse for a life form! You have been corrupted by weak emotions: love, pity kindness! Those emotions have no place in the world!"

"I'm sorry who are you? Where did you come from?" Balor blinked in wonderment. This stranger had just come out of nowhere. The two kids stood up and Balor gently pushed Kit behind him. They started to back away until they were in the middle of the temple. Ogidnew was standing on a statue that resembled one of his monstrous brethren. He was holding an axe that looked evil. Could axes look evil?

"Your executioner!" Ogidnew jumped from his perch and upon landing on the ground in front of Balor and Kit the floor beneath all three of them broke. Down they fell into the underworld, the vast complex of crypts, catacombs, dungeons and sewers beneath all of Harapa. While Balor and Kit had ended up landing on a small ledge, Ogidnew just kept on falling. He fell for a long time but finally his fall ended just like his life when he landed onto the sarcophagus of some noble of Harapa from before Sotark's reign.

Sotark's eyes opened. There was knocking at the door of his chamber. He growled and walked over to the door… on all fours. Violently, Sotark opened the door and looked down at the boy before him. The boy jumped in shock. This was not the Sotark he had seen in the statue this was a monster! A demon!

"What is it?" How bestial Sotark's voice sounded. It caused the boy to cringe in fear. "What do you want?"

"Forgive me, Lord Sotark but an army of beasts led by a corpse have began to attack Harapa, General Ogidnew is missing. I have been sent to inform you." Sotark's eyes starred down at the boy. His left eye was dull and unreflective, the right shined with an unnatural glow. Sotark extended a hand a wrapped it around the boy, his curved fingernails cutting into the boy's skin.

"The Festival of Ecstasy will continue after this attack is taken care of." Sotark started to squeeze the boy. "Ogidnew is dead." A sickening crack was heard that brought a grin to the giant evabon's face. "And now so are you." Sotark starred at the slain body before him, slain by his own hand. He brought the body to his mouth and proceeded to feast.

**The End**

**Well, this is the end of this story. Join me on Sunday for my next story "Violence." It will feature the return of the rest of the Thundercats, Gard, Zuvowang, Dalv, Mumm-Ra and his army you'll all like it. Until then read and review.**


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